Mr. FVSU Kalo Oglesby and Miss FVSU Candice Howard |
Special to the Peachite
Fort Valley State University’s new campus queen is a 20-year-old Waycross, Ga, native who hopes to use her new platform to help inspire young women. Candice Howard, a business management major, recently topped a field of three finalists to win the Miss FVSU 2016-2017 title during campus-based elections by students.
“I’ve always had a love for inspiring young women,” Howard said. “My only passion has been to mentor and guide girls into becoming polished, young ladies. After I graduate, I plan to invest in a nonprofit organization that will be centered around mentoring young girls and helping them to become elegant young ladies.”
During the two-day voting process, students also selected 22-year-old Kalo Oglesby as Mr. FVSU 2016-2017. Oglesby, a Woodbury, Ga. native who is majoring in middle grades education with a concentration in science and history, said he would use his new platform to spur the campus community to become change agents.
“I plan on challenging them to serve as the change agents on campus, and not just be docile,” Oglesby said. “I’m asking them to show up and perform. Take an active part on campus to be your best at every juncture. I also hope to bridge the gap between the staff and the students.”
Oglesby said his love for FVSU was a direct byproduct of his two parents who are both Wildcat alums.
“I am a direct product of what the university stands for,” he said. “My father, Lang Oglesby, and my mother, Myesheia Yarber, are both proud graduates of Fort Valley State University.”
Ogelsby currently serves as the vice president of the Georgia Association of Education, and formerly served with the Student Government Association as its director of Public Relations and Student Affairs. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and has served as an opinion columnist for the Peachite, FVSU’s student newspaper.
“I felt it was time to have a king that truly believed in the brand of FVSU,” Oglesby said, “I am a direct product of what the university stands for. My father, Lang Oglesby, and my mother, Myesheia Yarber, are both proud graduates of Fort Valley State University.”
Ogelsby currently serves as the vice president of the Georgia Association of Education, and formerly served with the university’s Student Government Association as its director of Public Relations and Student Affairs. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He also belonged to the campus’ Peachite staff as an opinion columnist.
Howard, who said she has dreamed about being an FVSU queen since her freshman year, said the actual competition taught her important lessons about herself.
“It was challenging, but I got through the competition,” she said. “It taught me about strengths that I didn’t even know I had. Because I was passionate about everything, it came easily as a breeze.”
Howard is involved in several organizations on campus including the National Council of Negro Women, the National Association of Black Accountants and the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society. She is currently interning in the president’s office.
During her reign, the new Miss FVSU said she also plans to serve as an ambassador to help the university with its recruitment efforts.
In addition to electing the king and queen, the campus also selected the other members of the royal court along with class officers for the 2016-2017 school year. The induction ceremony for new officers and the royal court will take place Tuesday, April 26 in the Student Amenities Building’s second floor banquet room.
Royal Court
Miss FVSU – Candice M. Howard
First Attendant – Mercedes Pleasant
Second Attendant – Amber Brown
Mr. FVSU – Kalo K Oglesby
First Gentleman – Zachary Shannon
Second Gentleman – Kevin Mays
Class Officers
Senior Queen – Kalaya C. Staples
Senior Class President – Charles Waller
Junior Queen – Ayauna Amon Ellis
Junior King – Tim Hardaway
Class President – Ashley Henry
Class Secretary – Maya C. Stewart
Sophomore King – Corey L. Greer
Class President – Na’Ron Usry
Class Vice President – Adelia McKinley
Student Government Association Officers
SGA President – Lawrence Gaston Malloy
SGA Vice President – Anita Ingram
SGA Secretary – TeKia Raines
SGA Assistant Secretary – Alexis Burdette
SGA Business Manager – Nicholas Finley
SGA Chief Justice – Niae Tibbs